Western Australia's peak business lobby is seeking assurances from the Prime Minister-elect Kevin Rudd that he will pay proper attention to the state's economy.

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry says Labor needs to ensure a smooth transition from Australian Workplace Agreement's and that the mining and construction sectors remain strike free.

Yesterday, the Chamber of Minerals and Energy also called on Mr Rudd to choose a Western Australian as resources minister in his new cabinet.

The Chief Executive of the CCI, John Langoulant, says, while a WA resources minister is not critical, it is important that ministers understand the needs of business in the west.

"Whoever is the new minister for business needs to have a very clear understanding of the very special circumstances which apply in Western Australia," he said.

"We want to have a Federal Cabinet which is engaged with Western Australia and we want to see the business ministers in particular engaged with what's going on in the state."

Mr Langoulant says ministers will also need a strong understanding of business needs in the west if WA's economic growth is to continue and that means knowing how to handle WA's unions.

"One of the things we're really concerned about is that the construction workforce, and particularly the more active areas of the union movement which have so plagued construction activity over the years, are not allowed to return to their bad old ways," he said.